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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2019)
4A | WEDNESDAY EDITION | APRIL 17, 2019 Siuslaw News P.O. Box 10 Florence, OR 97439 NED HICKSON , EDITOR | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM Opinion The First Amendment C ongress shall make no law respect- ing an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern- ment for a redress of grievances. “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800) USPS# 497-660 Copyright 2019 © Siuslaw News Siuslaw News Published every Wednesday and Saturday at 148 Maple St. in Florence, Lane County, Oregon. A member of the National Newspaper Association and Oregon Newspaper Pub- lishers Association. Periodicals postage paid at Florence, Ore. Postmaster, send address changes to: Siuslaw News, P.O. Box 10, Florence, OR 97439; phone 541-997-3441; fax 541- 997-7979. All press releases may be sent to PressReleases@TheSiuslawNews.com. Jenna Bartlet Ned Hickson Susan Gutierrez Cathy Dietz Ron Annis Jeremy Gentry Publisher, ext. 318 Editor, ext. 313 Marketing Director, ext. 326 Office Supervisor, ext. 312 Production Supervisor Press Manager DEADLINES: Wednesday Issue—General news, Monday noon; Budgets, four days prior to publica- tion; Regular classified ads, Monday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Monday noon; Display classified ads, Friday 5 p.m. Saturday Issue—General news, Thursday noon; Budgets, two days prior to publication; Regular classified ads, Thursday 1 p.m.; Display ads, Thursday noon; Display classified ads, Wednesday 5 p.m. Soundings, Tuesday 5 p.m. NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In Lane County — 1-year subscription, $79; 6-month in-county, $56; 10-week subscrip- tion, $25; Out of Lane County — 1-year subscription, $102; 6-month out-of-county, $69; 10-week subscription, $35; Out of State — 1-year subscription, $134; E-Edition Online Only (Anywhere) — 1-year subscription, $65. Mail subscription includes E-Edition. Website and E-Edition: TheSiuslawNews.com Letters to the Editor policy Hopefully, understanding autism can help lower some raised eyebrows I knew very little about the autism spectrum back in 2006, when I met the young boy who would become my son. My wife and I had been dating for several months when we decided it was time to introduce each other to our children. She ex- plained that he had As- perger’s Syndrome and likely wouldn’t make eye contact — and to not take it personally if he avoided any physical contact like a firm handshake. “And whatever you do, don’t tousle his hair,” she instructed with a squeeze of my hand. “He really doesn’t like that.” Autism is a neurological developmental disability with symptoms general- ly appearing before age 3, impacting the develop- ment of the brain in areas of social interaction, com- munication skills and cog- nitive function. It is the fastest-growing developmental disorder, affecting 1 in 68 children, and boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls. While it is the fast- est-growing, autism is also the least funded and, let those with autism and their families be who they are, free from stares, apol- ogy or judgement. That’s because often-times the symptoms of autism ar- en’t as apparent as other developmental disorders. As a result, children with autism having a difficult From the Editor's Desk Ned Hickson therefore, least under- stood disorder. The spec- trum of autism is wide ranging, from those who do not speak (40 percent) to others who not only speak but whose talents have impacted the world: Wolfgang Amadeus Mo- zart, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, Emily Dickin- son, Thomas Jefferson and Dan Akroyd are just a few. Each summer, our fam- ily participates in the four-day KindTree Au- tism Camp south of Flor- ence. The mission of the Autism Rocks camp is a simple one: For four days, time in social settings — or in extreme cases hav- ing a full meltdown — are quickly labeled as being “bratty,” “undisciplined” or simply the result of bad parenting. While our son, now 19, is well beyond that thanks to the support of teachers, students, family and pro- grams that have given him the tools to understand his Asperger’s, getting there wasn’t easy — particularly in those public moments under the raised-brow stare of strangers. Through the triumphs and disappointments over the last 12 years, we have always reinforced the mes- sage to our son that being autistic isn’t any different than being short or tall: Each provide challenges as well as advantages in life. Being willing to accept yourself for who you are is the key to recognizing the difference. Through my 17 years covering the communities of Florence and Mapleton, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many parents of children with autism, as well as adults living with autism. As I mentioned, I didn’t know much about autism when my son and I met in 2006. Since then, we’ve learned a lot from each other through the journey we’ve shared — including what it means for a father and son to share a firm handshake. I hope you’ll join me and other families in rec- ognizing National Autism Awareness Month through the end of April 30. It takes a village — or in this case, the entire Siuslaw school en- rollment, most parents, talented directors, artists, costumers, busi- nesses and one small puppy — to present an amazing production of “The Wiz.” I attended Saturday night’s per- formance, and as someone who has been involved for most of my younger years with all aspects of theater and what it entails to suc- ceed, I was more than impressed with what this CROW group has accomplished. Starting with the wonderful printed program, it is impossible to isolate any one performer, mu- sician, stage hand and/or dancer for kudos; but certainly director Melanie Heard and the assistant directors Maree Beers and Gene- vieve Meltzer deserve special rec- ognition for their commitment to the youth of our community. The countless hours needed to work with a group of youngsters this size is an accomplishment on its own. I have witnessed small- er adult groups in situations meet with much less success and disci- pline — and thus the result are be- low-par productions. So to all involved: A job well done! Be proud that a communi- ty of this size can so successfully achieve to this high level. The CROW organization has been a Godsend for so many of our youth — and is instilling great goals and self confidence in their young lives. It certainly tops sitting around endlessly with their “cy- ber” toys. So, many thanks to all involved with CROW and those who were any part of such an entertaining evening at the FEC. I hope this or- ganization can continue to grow and expand. The sky is the limit with our do- nations, however large or small. I will be awaiting the next Political/Election Letters: Election-related letters must address pertinent or timely issues of interest to our readers at-large. Letters must 1) Not be a part of letter-writing campaigns on behalf of (or by) candidates; 2) En- sure any information about a candidate is accu- rate, fair and not from second-hand knowledge or hearsay; and 3) Explain the reasons to support candidates based on personal experience and perspective rather than partisanship and cam- paign-style rhetoric. Candidates themselves may not use the letters to the editor column to outline their views and platforms or to ask for votes; this constitutes paid political advertising. As with all letters and advertising content, the newspaper, at the sole discretion of the publish- er, general manager and editor, reserves the right to reject any letter that doesn’t follow the above criteria. Email letters to: nhickson@thesiuslawnews.com WHERE TO WRITE LETTERS The wonderful ‘Wiz’ The Siuslaw News welcomes letters to the edi- tor as part of a community discussion of issues on the local, state and national level. Emailed letters are preferred. Handwritten or typed letters must be signed. All letters need to include full name, address and phone number; only name and city will be printed. Letters should be limited to about 300 words. Letters are sub- ject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. Publication of any letter is not guaranteed and depends on space available and the volume of let- ters received. Letters that are anonymous, libelous, argumen- tative, sarcastic or contain accusations that are unsourced or documented will not be published. Letters containing poetry or from outside the Siuslaw News readership area will only be pub- lished at the discretion of the editor. CROW production and encourage all to do the same. Bravo! —Sue Hale Florence Angels on the water tower I agree with Ian Eales’ Letter to the Editor (“Wouldn’t The Water Tower Be A Better Canvas?” April 10) that the tower would be a good canvas for a mural. Florence has a lot of angels doing good work helping people in need. I think it would be a good way to say “Thank You” for all their hard work and good deeds. Also as a way to thank all those that are no longer with us that have done so much for our community. I would like to see angels painted on the water tower — men, wom- en, children and even a couple of dog angels. So... angels, please. —Minn Depweg Florence Pres. Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461 TTY/TDD Comments: 202-456-6213 www.whitehouse.gov Oregon Gov. Kate Brown 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. Salem, Ore. 97301-4047 Governor’s Citizens’ Rep. Message Line: 503-378-4582 www.oregon.gov/gov U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden 221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5244 541-431-0229 www.wyden.senate.gov U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley 313 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-3753 FAX: 202-228-3997 541-465-6750 www.merkley.senate.gov U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (4th Dist.) 2134 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 202-225-6416 541-269-2609 541-465-6732 www.defazio.house.gov State Sen. Arnie Roblan (Dist. 5) 900 Court St. NE - S-417 Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 FAX: 503-986-1080 Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@ oregonlegislature.gov State Rep. Caddy McKeown (Dist. 9) 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1409 Email: rep.caddymckeown @oregonlegislature.gov West Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich 125 E. Eighth St. Eugene, OR 97401 541-682-4203 FAX: 541-682-4616 Email: Jay.Bozievich@ co.lane.or.us
